The insane (double XP) plan to get everyone to 55 fast

[Arkerus]

Jesus....this thread again? Really?

 

Lets debunk all the reasons to hate double XP weekend:

 

1. My gear gets outdated too fast.

 

Debunk: run the side quests to get gear...it doesn't matter if you are a couple levels over the quest target. I still drops gear. Put on said gear.

 

2. I level too fast and it makes content too easy:

 

Debunk: This is a GEAR based game. The gear you get for quests is appropriate to that level. You can be level 25 on a level 20 planet and YOUR GEAR determines how well you will do. See point number one. If you really want to stay level appropriate, don't visit the trainer right away. Except for hits and misses the level means next to nothing if you just base your gear to the planet you are on. Shoot. You can be level 55 and wear level 30 gear.

 

3. It forces me to skip content.

 

Debunk: no it doesn't. Nothing forces you to skip content. You can see any content you want. Just run it even if you are a few levels past it. Don't put brand new gear on if you want it to be "hard".

 

4. I worked for my levels and now you just hand it out?

 

Debunk: this tired old argument needs to die. No one is "working" in this game. It's a video game. You aren't being paid.

 

 

Anyone who quits over double XP is really complaining about nothing. It's a useless complaint and silly at best.

[branmakmuffin]

Jesus....this thread again? Really? Lets debunk all the reasons to hate double XP weekend

All of your "debunking" is trumped by one thing: some people don't like fast leveling. Who are you to tell them otherwise? Obviously they are the ones asking for change so the burden is on them to get it implemented, but that does not somehow invalidate their desire to play the game the way they want.

[MSchuyler]

A THEORY AND EXPLANATION OF DOUBLE XP

 

It's clear enough that some people like double XP and some people do not. I do not understand people who love SWTOR, but hate the content and don't care about the story lines, but hey: To each his own. Unless someone is yelling at me for moving too slowly, it doesn't hurt me if they want to go fast.

 

However, from Bioware's point of view, not that of us subs, it looks like a near term gain for a long term loss. Double XP levels people faster, so they'll buy the Hutt Cartel (Yay! Another $10 for Bioware!), but they get to the end faster, and that's when the boredom sets in. It's kind of like cruising down the freeway at 70mph and suddenly you hit a 55mph zone. It feels like you are crawling along. So Bioware has created a problem for itself. To retain these customers, they must provide new content, but the fact is, except for the 5-level Hutt, which some people did in a few hours, they have not provided any significant new content--unless you want to count the CM and I know you don't.

 

So you have to ask yourself, was this on purpose? Of course it was. They don't make decisions just for the sake of it, but why? Well, it's either the result of short-term thinking or long-term thinking, both designed to increase revenue.

 

By short-term thinking I mean the corporate tendency to pay attention to quarterly profit figures. American corporations aren't the only ones to do this, but they are certainly famous for it. If EA is pressuring BW to contribute to the quarterly bottom line, this could explain double XP. They need a quick profit NOW, so double XP and an expansion of the Cartel Market would tend to do that, but at the expense of losing long-term players eager for new content and not getting it.

 

But what if they've thought of that and are thinking long-term? What if they don't particularly care about older jaded players who tend to be impatient, complain a lot, and know the Cartel Market for what it is and do not indulge in paying extra for more coins? My guess would be that the "Jaded Player" provides much less revenue per subscription than an F2P player, who absolutely must use the Cartel Market to buy stuff given to subs.

 

And there you have it. If Bioware is relying on churn and F2P to boost revenues, it's in their best interests to starve older players out of the game. They are a drag on resources and angrily push for new content. However, with new players, all the content is new and the pressure is off.

 

I really don't know which is true, but I'm convinced one is.

[Arkerus]

All of your "debunking" is trumped by one thing: some people don't like fast leveling. Who are you to tell them otherwise? Obviously they are the ones asking for change so the burden is on them to get it implemented, but that does not somehow invalidate their desire to play the game the way they want.

 

The point is, it doesn't matter what your level is. That is just a counter. That's all. A person can easily wear lower level gear or not go to their trainer and effectively be the level they want. I've done it myself when I was too busy to seek out a trainer. I just completed the planet with my current gear and skill level. Shocking right?

Edited June 4, 2013 by Arkerus

[branmakmuffin]

The point is, it doesn't matter what your level is. That is just a counter. That's all. A person can easily wear lower level gear or not go to their trained and effectively be the level they want. I've done it myself when I was too busy to seek out a trainer. I just completed the planet with my current gear and skill level. Shocking right?

It may not matter to you (and it also does not matter to me), but you seem incapable of understanding that it does matter to some. If an option to toggle off double XP and rest XP were added to the game, would you care? And if so, why?

[Arkerus]

It may not matter to you (and it also does not matter to me), but you seem incapable of understanding that it does matter to some. If an option to toggle off double XP and rest XP were added to the game, would you care? And if so, why?

 

It just adds more complexity to the game and most likely takes developer time away from other things. Right now I assume there is a simple variable that they adjust and voila, it's done. Adding additional complexity just makes it more complex when there is zero need to do so. That's the point I am making.

 

And if someone's counter goes up faster than they want, I can recognize their opinion but it doesn't force me to recognize it as valid.

[Gammawaves]

can you turn double xp off?

 

they should at least give you the option to disable double xp.

 

All of my characters im leveling up are borderline about to out level their planets, all the missions are green. The last thing I want is double xp making all my missions go grey And no, I do not want to skip content, I like seeing all the missions on a planet no matter how boring lol.

[branmakmuffin]

It just adds more complexity to the game and most likely takes developer time away from other things.

And that's a fair response. If you don't think it's worthwhile, of course you don't think it's worth expending development effort.

 

And if someone's counter goes up faster than they want, I can recognize their opinion but it doesn't force me to recognize it as valid.

The concept of "validity" does not in any way apply to opinions of personal preference. You cannot reasonably say "I prefer blue to yellow" is valid or invalid.

[Bomyne]

It just adds more complexity to the game and most likely takes developer time away from other things. Right now I assume there is a simple variable that they adjust and voila, it's done. Adding additional complexity just makes it more complex when there is zero need to do so. That's the point I am making.

 

And if someone's counter goes up faster than they want, I can recognize their opinion but it doesn't force me to recognize it as valid.

 

Actually, the UI team is independant of the content team. I can't imagine it'd take too much to add a switch or slider to the options screen.

 

I said this in a previous thread on this subject, but I think the sider should be:

 

*XP off - You never gain XP while on this setting.

*Hard - XP gain is reduced (All boosts disabled and unusable), enemies hit harder if they are tagged to a player that has this setting.

Normal - Current functionality,

Double XP - Double XP functionality.

 

If the hard setting adjusts enemy power, then the slider would be a bit more complex though, but I know some people loved that functionality in STO, so....

[xandax]

Happy that double XP is coming back, so I can level some of the other alts I have.

[yoshua]

I love double xp. have 6 level 50's just waiting to level up. Only so many times I want to run through Makeb.

 

 

And on that note? No one is stopping you from experiencing content. Just because you out level an area doesn't mean you have to leave the area.

 

 

Sounds like 1st world problems. Choose to fix it yourself by doing every quest, and then you don't affect other peoples game play and when double xp is over? eventually it will even out and you will still be 55 by the end of the game regardless of the double xp. just don't progress off of a planet until you have done all the content.

 

simple solutions are simple.

[branmakmuffin]

Actually, the UI team is independant of the content team. I can't imagine it'd take too much to add a switch or slider to the options screen.

 

I said this in a previous thread on this subject, but I think the sider should be:

 

*XP off - You never gain XP while on this setting.

*Hard - XP gain is reduced (All boosts disabled and unusable), enemies hit harder if they are tagged to a player that has this setting.

Normal - Current functionality,

Double XP - Double XP functionality.

 

If the hard setting adjusts enemy power, then the slider would be a bit more complex though, but I know some people loved that functionality in STO, so....

LotRO introduced an XP disabler in their game store (at a cost of 400 Turbine Points, which is probably about the same as 400 CC). After months of requests for an XP disabler, you should have seen the howls on the forums about what a rip-off it was to charge Turbine Points for it (and have it take an item slot), rather than being happy it was introduced at all. People claimed that XP disabling is part of an MMO's "basic functionality" that "every other MMO" has.

[Bomyne]

LotRO introduced an XP disabler in their game store (at a cost of 400 Turbine Points, which is probably about the same as 400 CC). After months of requests for an XP disabler, you should have seen the howls on the forums about what a rip-off it was to charge Turbine Points for it (and have it take an item slot), rather than being happy it was introduced at all. People claimed that XP disabling is part of an MMO's "basic functionality" that "every other MMO" has.

 

WoW's one costs gold, so I think if SWTOR added one it should either be free or cost credits, not coins.

[branmakmuffin]

WoW's one costs gold, so I think if SWTOR added one it should either be free or cost credits, not coins.

At this point, if it were introduced into TOR, it would be for CC. There will be no convenience features introduced ever again into TOR that do not cost CC.

[Glowrod]

No, it's proof that not everyone wants to play the way you do. Plenty of people do not like fast leveling. So an option to turn it off would be nice for them. Why is that so hard to understand?

 

I think his issue is that there are a lot of people in this game that believes your level determines your combat abilities, when it does not. If you don't train when you level and if you don't upgrade your gear, you will remain at your combat strength, regardless of how many levels you gain.

 

You can continue to play how you want to, even if you gain 20 levels in one planet. All you have to do is get gear that is of an appropriate level for the planet you are questing on, and train the same. Presto, you will have content that is appropriately challenging, regardless of your level.

[Arkerus]

And that's a fair response. If you don't think it's worthwhile, of course you don't think it's worth expending development effort.

 

 

The concept of "validity" does not in any way apply to opinions of personal preference. You cannot reasonably say "I prefer blue to yellow" is valid or invalid.

 

I can easily apply it here. A person who says I don't like leveling fast cannot validate their opinion. This is not a question on color. This is a question of fact versus opinion.

 

Someone can validate their color choice because color is purely cosmetic. Saying I don't like leveling fast means you have reason for not leveling fast. I have shown that all the reasons presented are not grounded in any fact or game mechanic.

 

They can still have the opinion but I am perfectly happy with showing someone their opinion is wrong. It's like someone saying they don't like how cars can go REALLY fast when they can easily not drive that fast even if they are capable of controlling it. It's not a perfect analogy but I assume you get the point.

[Kontraz]

I don't feel like reading 7 pages, so if this has been addressed, I apologize. Maybe they are using the double xp weekends so that more people can reach level cap so that their added content (operations, for example) will be more relevant to more players. I've seen a few threads complaining about the added content being operations, and this could help more reach the point where that is relevant.

[Arkerus]

Actually, the UI team is independant of the content team. I can't imagine it'd take too much to add a switch or slider to the options screen.

 

I said this in a previous thread on this subject, but I think the sider should be:

 

*XP off - You never gain XP while on this setting.

*Hard - XP gain is reduced (All boosts disabled and unusable), enemies hit harder if they are tagged to a player that has this setting.

Normal - Current functionality,

Double XP - Double XP functionality.

 

If the hard setting adjusts enemy power, then the slider would be a bit more complex though, but I know some people loved that functionality in STO, so....

 

This is not just a UI issue. I guarantee you its a database and design issue. The button on the UI is not the issue here. This is a design issue. It is most likely a lookup or variable in the database that is reported to the client. They set it 200% on bonus weekends (or something like that). Creating an option to turn it off now means modification to the client and server.

[Kontraz]

and to those who are arguing over whether or not something is valid, I present you with this quote from Princess Bride. "You keep using that word, but I don't think it means what you think it means."

 

Ripped from wikipedia because I feel like being lazy:

"In logic, an argument is valid if and only if its conclusion is logically entailed by its premises and each step in the argument is logical. A formula is valid if and only if it is true under every interpretation, and an argument form (or schema) is valid if and only if every argument of that logical form is valid"

Edited June 4, 2013 by Kontraz

[Superman_AZ]

WoW's one costs gold, so I think if SWTOR added one it should either be free or cost credits, not coins.

Thus began the twinking in PvP and the rapid decline of PvP for the casual player. I am not opposed to an XP lock, as long as they do the same thing they did in World of Warcraft which is a separate instance for people with XP locks. Keeps them from abusing the system in order to farm honor (or whatever the PvP currency might be).

[Superman_AZ]

and to those who are arguing over whether or not something is valid, I present you with this quote from Princess Diaries. "You keep using that word, but I don't think it means what you think it means."

 

Ripped from wikipedia because I feel like being lazy:

"In logic, an argument is valid if and only if its conclusion is logically entailed by its premises and each step in the argument is logical. A formula is valid if and only if it is true under every interpretation, and an argument form (or schema) is valid if and only if every argument of that logical form is valid"

 

That would be the Princess Bride (like my signature), not the Princess Diaries... lol

[Zeppelin]

this thread is proof people will complain about anything.

 

 

So true.

[Kontraz]

That would be the Princess Bride (like my signature), not the Princess Diaries... lol

 

Doh! I'm tired. I knew which movie i was referring to, just said the wrong one. I meant this one!

 

[Superman_AZ]

Doh! I'm tired. I knew which movie i was referring to, just said the wrong one. I meant this one!

 

No worries. Happens to the best of us.

[LordArtemis]

I think that the double XP weekends are obviously a widely desired feature by the playerbase. The response was evident.

 

I also think that those that do not wish to be saddled with the extra XP should not have to be. Some folks do not like XP boosts and I can see their point.

 

I don't know if it would be possible, but I think it would have been nice if there was some way to "opt out", or something like that. I have suggested a consumable XP penalty, say 25 percent reduction in XP, for those that do not wish to level in the content they are experiencing. There are a few instances where this might occur.